Guerrero, on Mexico’s southwestern coast, is home to Acapulco and Ixtapa–the former an old Spanish port, the latter created by the government to lure tourists. Folks from Guerrero make up a sizable portion of those migrating to the States, and many restaurants in Chicago serve Guerrerense specialties.
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Vuelve a la vida (translation: “come back to life!”) is a spicy seafood cocktail that may be just the way to greet the dawn after a night of partying on Guerrero’s “Mexican Riviera.” Freshness is crucial with a dish like this, so it’s best ordered in a place that specializes in seafood and moves product briskly. I’ve enjoyed good versions at Playa Azul Ostioneria (4005 N. Broadway, 773-472-8924) and La Condesa (1003 N. Ashland, 773-276-5121), but probably the most succulent rendition of this Acapulco antojito (“snack”) was at Frontera Grill (445 N. Clark, 312-661-1434): oysters can never be too fresh, and a dish of absolutely pristine marine life is something that few local chefs besides Rick Bayless can consistently deliver.
Cecina
Goat and beef are usually the featured meats on a barbacoa platter, traditionally baked or steamed in an earthen pit. La Quebrada (4859 W. Roosevelt, Cicero, 708-780-8110), named after the famous cliff-diving spot in Acapulco, serves a barbacoa de chivo, moist goat chunks with a slightly pink center served with cilantro and onion. At Carnitas Don Rafa (4617-19 S. Kedzie, 773-847-8342) beef barbacoa is available on weekends, which is frequently when smaller Mexican restaurants prepare other specialty dishes such as carnitas (“little meats”) and pozole, Mexico’s hominy-based soup. Oddly, the barbacoa here is not pulled into threads but served in large hunks splashed with rather tasteless barbecue-style sauce.
It’s possible to make a meal of the green mole of Guerrero, and I’ve almost done that a few times at Sol de Mexico (3018 N. Cicero, 773-282-4119). Here the seemingly simple green mole with pipian, a kind of pumpkin seed, is deeply complex. It’s wonderful with chef Carlos Tello’s house-made tortillas.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): Elizabeth Tamney (map), Jim Newberry (photos).
